THERESA May has been defeated again as her Brexit strategy faces another setback after the influential group of Tory eurosceptics that make up the ERG failed to back her.

The Prime Minister's main motion asking Parliament to support her in going back to the EU to seek renegotiations on the backstop was voted down by a majority of 45. About 30 members of the ERG decided to abstain from the vote. The Prime Minister was not present in the House of Commons to hear the result read out by Speaker John Bercow. She now faces an uphill struggle in going back to Brussels with European leaders expected to push her into accepting the support of Jeremy Corbyn. The Labour leader has said his party would back Brexit with closer ties to the EU, including a customs union and further measures likely to infuriate Brexiters.

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Earlier, Downing Street hit back at Mark Rutte after the Dutch Prime Minister slammed a post-Brexit Britain as “too small” to matter on the world stage.

Mr Rutte enraged the Prime Minister, leading Brexiters and the 17.4million who voted to leave the European Union with the provocative comment.

He went on to label the UK as “weak” for quitting the bloc and insinuated Britain’s economy would slump after Brexit Day.

The Dutch PM said: "The country that will be weakened by Brexit is the United Kingdom.

“It is already weakening, it is a waning country compared to two or three years ago. It is going to become a middling economy out in the Atlantic Ocean. It is neither the US nor the EU.

“It is too small to appear on the world stage on its own."

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman lashed back at Amsterdam, saying: "I disagree entirely. Employment is at a record high, exports are at a record high, companies are continuing to invest in the UK.

"Deloitte named the UK as Europe's leading destination for foreign direct investment and London as the world's top city for investment just last month."

Meanwhile, German businesses are panicking as Brexit day approaches, with the German Chambers of Commerce warning companies are “navigating without a compass” amid uncertainties over their future relationship with the UK.

Theresa May is facing another tough night in the House of Commons (Image: GETTY)

Brexit is a "big burden" for Germany's businesses, which are experiencing difficulties in preparing for Brexit as they are "navigating without a compass" less than 45 days before the UK's departure from the EU, DIHK foreign trade chief Volker Treier said on Thursday.

A survey among 1,500 companies with business ties to the UK revealed which are the biggest worries related to the UK leaving the EU for these companies.

The majority of the businesses said they regard as the highest factor of risk the additional charges caused by tariff bureaucracy.

The research added only one in five surveyed companies said their business in Britain was going well, while 70 percent expected it to worsen in 2019.

Number 10 is furious with Rutte over the Dutch PM's comments (Image: GETTY)

Mr Treier said: "Companies see the greatest risk factor for their business in the impending additional effort and expense for customs bureaucracy.

"In the worst case scenario, up to ten million new customs declarations would be necessary in the event of a disorderly exit."

This comes after it was announcedGermanynarrowly escaped falling into recession at the end of 2018.

The latest figures from the Federal Statistics Office revealed Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Europe’s biggest economy - valued at £3.1trillion - remained unchanged in the final three months of 2018.

See below for LIVE Brexit updates:

10.47pm update: EU remains silent on May's Commons defeat

Jean-Claude Juncker, Donald Tusk and Michel Barnier have all remained surprisingly silent this evening on the Prime Minister's eighth humiliating Brexit defeat in the House of Commons.

They had taken to social media to explain the EU's position following Mrs May's previous defeats however their Twitter accounts remained quiet this evening.

Jeremy Corbyn will travel to Brussels next week to hold crunch talks with top EU diplomats as the bloc attempts to strong-arm Theresa May into accepting a soft Brexit.

The Prime Minister is expected to come under increasing pressure from the European Union to bow to Labour’s demands for a customs union in the coming days.

Mr Corbyn will meet the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier and the European Parliament’s Brexit representative Guy Verhofstadt next week as the trio plot a course to undermine Mrs May and force her into agreeing changes to the Withdrawal Agreement that will satisfy enough Labour MPs to see it ratified by Westminster.

The Prime Minister will also visit Brussels next week, to update European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, but it is not believed her visit will overlap with Mr Corbyn’s.

EU sources told the Guardian they expect Jeremy Corbyn to provide more details on his recent offer to Theresa May about how Labour would support a divorce deal.

Labour wants a customs union, close alignment with the single market and guarantees workers’ rights protection in exchange for supporting a deal which contains a backstop.

However that soft Brexit approach would anger Tory Brexiteers, a line which Theresa May has refused to cross.

Brexiters from Leave Means Leave have hand delivered a romantic Valentine's Day card.

The giant greeting card was personally taken to Downing Street by the group's campaign manager ahead of tonight's vote on Mrs May's motion.

The pressure group then demonstrated outside Parliament all afternoon with Valentine's puns including calls for the UK to "get out of the single's market".

After Mrs May's eighth Commons Brexit defeat, a spokesman for Leave Means Leave tweeted: "Parliament has demonstrated its opposition to the PM’s deal again and has sensibly left no deal on the table.

"It should be obvious to the PM now that she needs to radically change her deal or go World Trade Organisation".

Leave Means Leave have sent a Valentine's Day card to Theresa May (Image: Twitter: @LeaveMnsLeave)

9.12pm update: May held 'constructive' calls with EU leaders

Theresa May held "constructive" phone calls with European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel about securing legally binding changes to the backstop before her humilating House of Commons defeat today.

May spoke to the leaders of Sweden, Portugal and Austria.

A Number 10 spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister has been talking throughout the course of this week and last week to European leaders about the need to secure legally binding changes to the backstop.

"They were constructive conversations and it is clear that everybody wants us to be able to leave with a deal."

8.28pm update: Tory minister accuses ERG of Brexit 'treachery'

Business minister Richard Harrington has accused members of the ERG of "treachery" over Brexit.

Remainer Mr Harrington hit out at the eurosceptic group saying they are not Conservatives and should defect to Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party.

Referring to the ERG, the minister told The House magazine: "The Prime Minister has done a pretty good job of standing up to them up till now, but they were drinking champagne to celebrate her losing her deal and I regard that as being treachery.

“I read that Nigel Farage is setting up a new party called 'Brexit' and if I were them I'd be looking at that, because that seems to reflect their views more than the Conservative Party does.

"They should read carefully what that party's got to offer, because in my view they're not Conservatives.

Mr Harrington also dismissed the Malthouse compromise, which this evening ERG deputy Steve Baker urged the Prime Minister to adopt, as “fanciful nonsense”.

The minister said: "It's basically regurgitated Canada Plus, which we know is not at all suited to our close relationship with the European Union, plus a bit of glorified number plate recognition kit, which they've got there anyway.

Responding to the "treachery" remark, Mr Baker told ITV: “Richard has always been a great friend and colleague.

"I regret we have not done more to persuade him of the reasonableness of our position and I look forward to sitting down calmly for a chat.”

7.34pm update: Cabinet minister opens up on 'disappointing' night for the government

Cabinet minister David Mundell has said tonight was "disappointing" for the government but "not significant in the long term".

The secretary of state for Scotland added he still expects a meaningful vote to be held in two weeks.

Vote disappointing, but not significant in long term. More important is PM still has additional time to negotiate Deal revisals Parliament said it needs. Hopefully allows meaningful vote at end of month when clear only option for those who don’t want no deal is backing PM’s deal

Downing Street has said Jeremy Corbyn is responsible for Theresa May's stinging defeat in the House of Commons tonight.

The Prime Minister has vowed to continue with Brexit negotiations and go back to Brussels to secure legally binding changes to the backstop.

A Number 10 spokesman said: “Jeremy Corbyn yet again put partisan considerations ahead of the national interest – and yet again, by voting against the Government’s motion, he is in effect voting to make no deal more likely.

“While we didn’t secure the support of the Commons this evening, the Prime Minister continues to believe, and the debate itself indicated, that far from objecting to securing changes to the backstop that will allow us to leave with a deal, there was a concern from some Conservative colleagues about taking no deal off the table at this stage.

“The motion on 29 January remains the only one the House of Commons has passed expressing what it does want – and that is legally binding changes to address concerns about the backstop. The Government will continue to pursue this with the EU to ensure we leave on time on 29 March.”

Nick Boles has slammed the ERG members who abstained from tonight's vote on Theresa May's motion, saying hardline Brexiters will "stop at nothing" to make sure Britain leaves the EU without a deal.

Maybe, just maybe, the penny will now drop with Prime Minister and her Chief Whip that the hardliners in the ERG want a no-deal Brexit and will stop at nothing to get it. Responsible MPs of all parties must come together on 27th and 28th March and stop them.

Theresa May was conspicuously absent from the frontbench as the results of her motion were announced (Image: MGO, Parliament TV via Reuters)

5.53pm update: Corbyn demands May outline next steps

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has demanded Theresa May come back to the House of Commons and explain the next steps of her Brexit plan.

He said Mrs May "cannot keep ignoring Parliament and ploughing on to March 29 without a plan", adding "she cannot keep running down the clock."

Mr Corbyn said: "Tonight’s vote shows there is no majority for the government’s course of action.

"It is surprising the Prime Minister is not even here.

"I was going to ask her to come to the despatch box now and admit her strategy has failed and come forward to the House a coherent plan that can deal with the stresses and anxieties that so many people all over this country are feeling."

The Speaker explained there was no obligation for the Prime Minister to be present and offered Stephen Barclay the chance to respond to Mr Corbyn but the Brexit secretary declined.

5.44pm update: May defeated

Theresa May’s motion has been defeated

Ayes to the right: 258

Noes to the left: 303

It leaves the Prime Minister’s hand significantly weakened in trying to renegotiate the backstop with the European Union.

5.31pm update: MPs voting on main government amendment

Theresa May's main amendment, calling on MPs to support her position of going back to Brussels to reopen Withdrawal Agreement negotiations over the backstop, is now being voted on.

ERG members have said they are "split" and "not as one" with some deciding to vote for the motion and other expected to abstain.

MPs are now voting on SNP Westminister leader Ian Blackford's amendment, which demands the government ask Brussels to extend Article 50 and delay Brexit by at least three months.

That would trigger European Parliament elections in the UK on May 26.

5.15pm: MPs vote against Labour amendment

Ayes to the right: 306

Noes to the left: 322

That relieves a bit of pressure on the Prime Minister allowing her to continue Brexit negotiations at her own pace rather than being tied to secure a revised deal with Brussels in less than two weeks.

5.09pm update: Soubry amendment off

Anna Soubry has pulled her amendment calling for the Prime Minister to publish no deal advice after the government said it would do so.

That leaves only the SNP's amendment left to be voted on before MPs decide on the main government motion.

MPs are filing back into the Commons after voting on Labour's amendment, with the results expected imminently.

Government has agreed to meet to identify and then publish the relevant papers detailing the devastating effect a #NoDeal#Brexit will have on business’s and trade. No need to push my amendment to a vote & if Govt does none of the above I’ll be back on Feb 27 ...

MPs are now voting on the Labour amendment which calls for a meaningful vote by February 27.

5.02pm ERG to abstain from government motion

The ERG has decided to abstain from the main government motion being put before MPs tonight in a huge blow to the Prime Minister, the Guardian is reporting.

Without the support of the ERG there is now a significant chance the government will lose the vote on its motion, plunging the Brexit mess into further chaos.

If May loses the main motion vote it will weaken her hand further in negotiating "alternative arrangements" to the backstop and the EU will likely increase pressure on her to do a deal with Jeremy Corbyn, including a customs union, which would see the UK leaving the EU with a closer relationship to the bloc than many Brexiters want.

4.31pm update: European Research Group meeting now

The ERG, the influential group of eurosceptics, is meeting now to decide how to vote on the amendments and Prime Minister's motion later this evening.

The meeting, chaired by Jacob Rees-Mogg, began at 4pm ahead of the votes commencing at 5pm.

4.23pm update: Tory MP Grieve demands May rules out no-deal, threatens to pull support for government

During the debate, pro-Remain Tory MP Dominic Grieve said Britain would be better off staying the EU.

He likened the threat to leave without a deal to a toddler saying they would hold their breath until they get the present they want.

Mr Grieve demanded the government rule out no-deal Brexit and said his previous support for the Prime Minister could "run out completely" if the government continues to act in a "crazy fashion".

Dominic Grieve has said the UK would be better off staying in the EU and demanded ruling out no-deal (Image: Parliament.live)

4.12pm update: What will MPs be voting on later?

MPs are currently debating a motion put forward by the Prime Minister and three further amendments to the Withdrawal Agreement proposed by backbenchers and will begin voting at 5pm.

The Prime Minister's motion asks MPs to back her statement on February 12 and in doing so reiterate the Commons' "support for the approach to leaving the EU expressed by this House on January 29 and notes that discussions between the UK and the EU on the Northern Ireland backstop are ongoing."

Eurosceptic MPs are divided over the motion with some saying it would mean voting for the Withdrawal Agreement to be renegotiated, which they want, but taking no-deal off the table, a move which they argue would weaken the Prime Minister's hand in further talks.

The first amendment that will be voted on is Labour's which demands the government hold a meaningful vote by February 27.

MPs will then consider Remainer Anna Soubry's amendment which would order the government to publish its advice on how a no-deal Brexit would impact the UK within seven days.

SNP Westminister leader Ian Blackford's amendment asks the government to extend Article 50 and delay Brexit by at least three months.

None of the amendments would be legally binding if passed but the government could be at risk of holding Parliament in contempt, again, if they did not follow through on MPs' wishes.

Earlier, Jacob Rees-Mogg has said Brexiteers are "highly unlikely" to vote against the government but former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab has hinted he will rebel, saying: "At the moment I am struggling with the idea of voting for the principled motion but I will listen very carefully to the further assurances ministers will give in winding up because I would rather be in a position of supporting the Government."

3.45pm update: Yvette Cooper confirms plan to delay Brexit

Labour's Yvette Cooper has said she will table an amendment to extend Article 50 in the event of no deal.

The Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford MP, who chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee, said delaying Britain leaving the EU would avoid "living in a fantasy world" of a hard Brexit.

She said: "If we don't do something sensible like this it's like we're just all living in a fantasy world in which we talk about alternative arrangements.

"We say something is going to come along and sort it out and it just doesn't.

"It's as if we're all standing around admiring the finery of the Emperor's new clothes and actually the Emperor is running around stark naked and everyone is laughing at us - or at least they would be if it wasn't so sad.

"So I really hope the Government will show some responsibility, I hope they will end up supporting this Bill and I hope they will end up frankly sorting it out even before we get to that point, before it is too late."

Theresa May's spokeswoman has hit back at Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister over claims Britain is weakened because of Brexit.

Number 10 said: “I disagree entirely. Employment is at a record high, exports are at a record high, companies are continuing to invest in the UK. Deloitte named the UK as Europe's leading destination for foreign direct investment just last month.”

Mark Rutte called Brexit Britain 'too small to appear on the world stage' (Image: REUTERS)

Ken Clarke said Theresa May should put an end to her attempts to please the eurosceptic ERG, chaired by Jacob Rees-Mogg, saying they will "reject anything we come back with because some of them want to leave with no deal".

He added: "The Government has pursued one of the factions on our side of the House, we have a kind of breakaway party within a party, a bit like Momentum really, they've got their leader, they've got their chief whip.

"They are ardent right-wingers, and the Government has set off in pursuit of these bizarre negotiating tactics that some of them say, though some of them seem to want to leave with no deal, because any agreement with foreigners from the continent is a threat to our sovereignty."

Mr Clarke also said that the ERG is "the wrong group to pursue", and called the Brady amendment "meaningless".

A no-deal Brexit could cause serious problems in the biggest port in Europe, Rotterdam, which handles around 40m tonnes of goods from Britain alone every year, port authorities said.

Port Chief Executive Allard Castelein said: "The first days after Brexit will for sure bring unrest and insecurity.

"We have done everything to be as well-prepared as possible, but there will always be problems."

12.40pm update: Steve Barclay tells Parliament to 'hold its nerve'

MPs should hold their nerve and send a clear message of unity to Brussels in order to obtain more from the EU, the Brexit Secretary said during today's Commons debate.

Mr Barclay added it is important to have a no-deal on the table to get a good deal.

He added the Government continues to look for technological solutions that would avoid implementing both a backstop and a hard border in Northern Ireland.

The Secretary added MPs must give more time to the Government to get a deal.

And answering Yvette Cooper's question about whether the UK will leave the bloc regardless, Mr Barclays said getting a deal is the policy of No10, but the legal position of the UK is that it will be leaving the EU on March 29.

12.32pm update: David Davis asks if the UK is really leaving the EU on March 29

The debate kicked off with questions over the chances of taking off the table a no deal Brexit, with Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay saying the "only way to avoid a no deal is either to secure a deal on the terms set out by the Prime Minister or to revoke Article 50."

David Davis, the former Brexit Secretary, asked whether the UK will leave the EU by March 29 even if a deal is not reached by that date.

Mr Barclay confirmed that is the intention of the Government, signalling to hardline Brexiteers a no deal is not off the table.

12.30pm update: Amendments to be debated by the Commons today revealed

The Speaker of the House has announced the amendments tabled by Jeremy Corbyn, Ian Blackford and Anna Soubry will be debated today.

This means there won't be any discussions on an amendment proposing a second referendum.

These amendments respectively call on the Government to give Parliament either a vote on a revised Brexit deal or a debate on the next steps by February 27, a delay of at least three months to the March 29 exit, and the publication of the Government's analysis of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on business and trade.

The vote on these amendments will take place from 5pm.

Each vote takes around 15 minutes and the result is read out in Parliament.

John Bercow chose three amendments among the ones tabled earlier to be debated by MPs today (Image: SKY NEWS)

Speaking to Sky News, the Labour MP said the party has been "very clear" on how to proceed on Brexit.

He said: "The Labour has a very clear policy, we said we would look at the deal if we rejected the deal we would have pushed for a general election which we would all like to see, but if that wasn’t on table the conference unitedly voted for putting a public vote on the table and campaign for that, if the Government were so confident in the deal shouldn’t be afraid to put that to the people.

"I don’t know anybody who is planning to resign and is not something I would favour myself I want to see a united labour approach to this, it’s an issue that goes well beyond the party.

"We have a complete and utter shambles, the pm is fighting once again with parts of her own party while the clock is ticking down.

"If parliament is locked-jammed, than the issue must go back to the people."

However, Jeremy Corbyn has never said he would back a second referendum.

Andrea Leadsom recited poetry as she avoided answering a question over when and if a second meaningful vote on the Brexit deal will take place.

Mrs Leadsom said MPs will consider a series of Brexit-linked statutory instruments and hold general debates on serious violence, NHS, anti-Semitism, and potential future free trade agreements next week, a period which was initially scheduled to be recess.

Mrs Leadsom added: "It's Valentine's Day so I thought a little poem might be in order - Labour is red, Tories are blue, our future is bright, with a good deal in sight, for the UK and our friends in the EU."

When asked whether she would announce the timetable for a new meaningful vote, the Commons leader said: "As Jane Austen said 'Is not general incivility the very essence of love?' - so I shall take her slightly unhumorous remarks to be the beginning of a real friendship between us."

1) Labour Party's amendment forcing Theresa May to present a deal to Parliament by February 27.

2) Ken Clarke's amendment saying there should be a ballot, allowing MPs to choose from a range of Brext options using the alternative vote system

3) Angus Brendan MacNeil's amendment, which calls for Article 50 to be revoked.

4) Anna Soubry's amendment saying the Government should publish its official advice about the impact of a no-deal Brexit.

5) Sarah Wollaston's amendment, which says MPs should vote on various Brexit options. According to this amendment, if more than one option is approved, they should all be put to the public in a referendum.

6) Plaid Cymru's amendment calling for both an extension of Article 50 and a referendum.

7) Geraint Davies's amendment which backs a deal only if it is amended according to Labour's demands and if approved by a second referendum.

8) SNP amendment's calling for an extension to Article 50 of at least three months.

9) Lib Dem's amendment saying, if there is no deal by 27 February, May should ask to extend Article 50 to allow for a referendum.

10) Roger Godsiff's amendment calling for a three-option referendum.

10.30am update: SNP tables motion for Article 50 extension

Ian Blackford, the SNP's leader in Westminster, said his party has tabled an amendment to today's motion requiring the British Government to start immediate talks with Donald Tusk's European Council to extend the UK's permanence in the EU by at least three months.

He told BBC Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme that this motion would prevent Britain to leave without a deal.

He added: “Parliament has the chance to instruct the government to act and it must do so.”

Nicola Sturgeon, the party leader and First Minister of Scotland, added Edinburgh has stepped up its preparations for a no-deal Brexit.

Mark Rutte said the UK will be 'weakened' by Brexit (Image: GETTY)

10am update: Dutch Prime Minister says Brexit Britain will be ‘too small’ to be relevant around the world

Mark Rutte, the Prime Minister of The Netherlands, said the UK will be “weakened” by Brexit and its economy alone won’t be able to compete around the world.

He told Spanish newspaper El Pais: “It is the UK that will be weakened.

“It is already weakening; it is on the wane compared to two or three years ago.

“It is going to become a middling economy stuck in the Atlantic Ocean.

“It is neither the US nor the EU.

“It is too small to appear on the world stage on its own.”

Mr Rutte also shows doubts the UK and the EU will be able to thrash a deal before March 29.

He continued: “My impression is that the ball is advancing towards the precipice and everyone is screaming stop, but nobody is doing anything to prevent it, at least from the British side.

“Some British parliamentarians say that we want to trap them in a permanent limbo. But it is not true.

“The EU is interested in moving to the next phase as soon as possible and starting a new relationship with the United Kingdom.

“But given May’s efforts to renegotiate the Irish backstop, I do not know how this will end and whether we can avoid a hard Brexit.

“It would be devastating for the UK.”

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Steve Baker, Deputy Chair of the influential Tory pro-Brexit ERG, said Conservative MPs should not be associated with anything which seems to take a no-deal Brexit off the table as it would hurt the negotiating strategy and would not be in the national interest.

9.30am update: Theresa May urged to DELAY Brexit by dozens of British diplomats

More than 40 UK diplomats have called on Theresa May to extend Article 50, The Times wrote.

The diplomats argued delaying Brexit is the best option the UK currently has, as it would give time to clarify the terms of the future relationship between Britain and the EU or allow for a second referendum.

This comes after Mrs May's top Brexit aide Olly Robbins was overheard in a hotel bar in Brussels saying the EU is likely to extend Article 50.

Jeremy Corbyn said a customs union membership is the best deal for the UK (Image: PA)

9.10am update: Ford warns of consequences of no-deal Brexit and threatens to 'take action' if necessary

Ford warned leaving the EU without a deal would have "catastrophic" consequences amid speculations the company may be ramping up preparations to move its production abroad.

With only 44 days to go before Brexit day, the chances of a no-deal scenario are getting increasingly higher.

A Ford spokesman said: "We have long urged the UK Government and Parliament to work together to avoid the country leaving the EU on a no-deal, hard-Brexit basis on March 29.

"Such a situation would be catastrophic for the UK auto industry and Ford's manufacturing operations in the country.

"We will take whatever action is necessary to preserve the competitiveness of our European business."

8.40am update: EU27 are watching closely what happens in the UK, says Fox

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox believes the EU27 are watching closely the debate in the British Parliament over Brexit to make decisions over possible concessions to grant the UK.

Particular attention is being given to how Parliament is voting on amendments to the Withdrawal Agreement, he added.

He told the BBC: "I think that our European partners will be watching to see, if they make those concessions, do they think that parliament would be likely then to pass that agreement?

"We have to be very aware that this is not an academic debate. It is listened to quite seriously by those who will be negotiating with the UK."

8.10am update: Labour demands Prime Minister to put her deal to a Commons vote by the end of the month

Following Theresa May’s announcement she will update Parliament on February 26 if a deal is still not ready to be voted, Labour has tabled an amendment demanding the Prime Minister to either put her agreement to a Commons vote by February 27 or allow Parliament to take control of the process.

Jeremy Corbyn has voiced his opposition to a no-deal Brexit, urging Mrs May to take the option off the table, and has declared a customs union membership the best Brexit outcome for Britain.

But he has failed to openly back or reject other options, such as supporting the People's Vote campaign or a long extension to Article 50.

This lack of clarity over which Brexit positions the leader of the Labour Party is backing has been slammed by the Prime Minister during yesterday’s PMQs.